


Supergem

by theregoesjodariel



Series: Jodi's Lapidot Trash Zone [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Camp Pining Hearts, Conventions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Post-Episode s05e29-32 Change Your Mind, arc two is a little meta, these two goofballs would make themselves into superman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 11:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18445721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theregoesjodariel/pseuds/theregoesjodariel
Summary: Lapis Lazuli and Peridot have finally fused. What comes next?Say it with me: Superhero.





	1. Kindly Couple

**Author's Note:**

> I probably shouldn't be starting a multi-chapter fic while I'm in the middle of another one, but it's worth a try! Unlike Pearls' Night Out, I plan to continue this one indefinitely and update on an irregular basis. Chapters will be shorter on average, too.  
> I wanted to write this because I feel like every single Lapidot fic I see is either the beginning of their relationship or the beginning of their relationship with extra angst. While I'm very okay with both of those things, it can get pervasive after a while, so it's always good to shake things up! There may be some angst in future chapters, yes, but you have my word that none of it will come from Lapidot relationship drama.  
> This is pretty much a continuation of the one-shot I wrote to mark my descent into SU trash pile, titled The Itch. It doesn't need to be read to understand what's going on, but it helps, plus I'll definitely be reusing some of the weird esoteric fusion descriptions I included in that here. I've included it as the previous work in the series, so tracking it down should be easy!  
> Oh, and Turquoise's hypothetical voice actress? St. Vincent. Think about it.

High above the ocean near the East Coast, the love of two had become one.

 

She still wasn’t quite used to  _ being _ one, but she was so far from complaining it wasn’t even funny. It was still like her brain was separated into two sides-- the Lapis side and the Peridot side-- but they were growing closer by the second. She, and, by extension, the two of them, wouldn’t change anything for the world. Peridot hadn’t forgiven Lapis for fleeing Earth, hadn’t needed an apology in the first place.

 

She traced her four hands across her body, feeling all the ways she was the same and all the ways she was different. She could swear her two gems, the one on her forehead and the one on her back, were practically  _ humming _ , evidently just as giddy as she was. Er, or that  _ was _ her giddiness.

 

Being one. It would take some getting used to.

 

She couldn’t help but let out a little squeal of delight.  _ This  _ is what had been missing with Jasper!  _ This _ is what had been missing her  _ whole life _ ! She now understood exactly what Garnet meant: she was  _ made of love. _

 

Her hands returned to her sides as she looked out at the ocean below her. Slowly, she looked down, down at her star-adorned chest and turquoise skin. The thought rang in her head just then.

 

_ Turquoise. My name is Turquoise. _

 

She didn’t need to debate whether that was a Peridot thought or a Lapis thought, she just knew, instinctively, that it had become  _ her _ thought. And like that, another thought ran through her head.

 

_ What happens now? _

 

Unlike the blissful moment of knowing her name, this caused internal conflict. Should she head back to Beach City and show Steven and the rest of the Crystal Gems? Should they unfuse and keep it quiet for the time being? Her mind was abuzz with options.

 

_ What if… _

 

She had to think on this one for a moment. It sounded, at first, like a very Peridot thought to have; kind of silly, but just silly enough to work. But after mulling it over, she realized it was a  _ Lapis _ thought. After all, the blue gem did like Earth culture just as much as Peri. She felt a new feeling. Agreement. The mental equivalent of a kiss on the cheek.

 

Turquoise ran one hand over her two pairs of eyes, summoning a variant of the spiky glasses Peridot had taken to wearing (which Lapis thought were  _ awesome _ ). At the same time, she concentrated on her water wings. They moved towards each other and congealed. They were no longer wings, but a cape, billowing in the wind behind her.

 

With that, she made the short flight over to the edge of Empire City. The closest thing to a Metropolis in the world. She smirked. She had to admit, she was a little cocky about this.

 

Peaceful person with the life tenets of a farmer who was secretly an alien and protector of human life? Well, minus the whole “last of her kind” thing...

 

Turquoise could  _ definitely _ do that.

 

And so, the new fusion swooped down to the bright lights below. As she did, she mouthed the word: “Superhero.”


	2. First Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turquoise stops her first robbery... but is something else at work here?  
> Content warning for guns in this chapter.

The Crystal Gems never had to deal with man-made guns since they left stopping common criminals to the police most of the time. As the bullet whizzed through her, though, Turquoise realized they had absolutely no need to worry about them anyway. After all, a speedy metal pellet can’t do much to a hard-light form that isn’t instantly fixable. Plus, she could just deflect them with her ferrokinesis (which, she had to note to herself, she still had as a fusion).

She’d seen the robbery as she flew over the Empire City skyline ( _ her first patrol of many _ , she told herself). It wasn’t at a bank or a jewelry store, which she frowned at; she’d wanted to start with something simple, something  _ classic _ . But hey, some fools stealing from a big black cubic building would have to do. It was in what looked like the town’s industrial district (Turquoise was reminded of Yellow Diamond’s sector of Homeworld), though the building itself was set apart from the rest physically.

The men who were robbing the place were just pure goons, just absolute buffoons. Turquoise didn’t think humans could get dumber than hormonal Canadian campers, but lo and behold. They kept shooting her! Even after she had made it very obvious that bullets did nothing to her in two different ways, they still kept shooting! “Keep trying, you clods. You’re doing great so far!”

After the words exited her mouth, she felt a blush and a small smile creep across her face. The decision to use the word  _ clod _ had been an executive one, and while she was getting better at thinking of herself as her own Gem, she was  _ certain _ it came from the Lapis part of her; the blush had been from Peridot.

One of the robbers, the man closest to the building’s entrance, turned to the door and shouted. “Val,  _ hurry up _ in there! The big blue lady’s gonna cut us d--”

Turquoise had heard enough. She focused on the water which made up her cape and, in the blink of an eye, sent it flying straight at the group’s unlucky ringleader’s face. It hit hard-- maybe even broke a few bones-- and sent him flying through the glass door, shattering it.

She put a hand over her mouth. That was… not the intended amount of pain she had wanted to inflict. She was stronger than either of her components had ever been; more than the sum of her parts, aside from in a literal sense. It was something she had to commit to memory, especially when fighting humans.

_ Love is just too strong for some people,  _ she thought.

And then a burst of orange energy struck her in the chest.

It was far from just a simple bullet. It  _ hurt _ , sent her flying back across the pavement. As she struggled to recover, she realized that it felt oddly familiar. That tingling sensation which, in a split second, was replaced by an acute burning, a searing pain that went through her hard-light form and into her two gems. Was that…  _ Gem weaponry? _

“Don’t know what your deal is, four-arms, but you are absolutely, one-hundred-percent  _ in my way, _ ” came a snarling feminine voice emanating from the now-broken doorway. “And it just so happens that I’ve got just the thing to take you out of it.”

And when she emerged from the building, Turquoise got her answer. Staring her down was a human woman, clad in Era 1 Gem armor and wielding a Gem-made club. 

“Oh,” she said, deadpan. “You must be my first supervillain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, new chapter time! So sorry for the delay between chapters, y'all-- I wanted to get Pearls' Night Out all done before I continued this one. From now on, I plan to update every 2-3 days and, starting with chapter 3, may up the average word count per chapter.  
> Up next: supervillain fight time!


	3. Gladiatrix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supervillain fight? Supervillain fight!

Axinites were created early on in Era 1. As Triclinic-type Gems, they were initially slotted into various labor jobs that needed filling-- construction and the like-- before gravitating towards jobs they found more fulfilling. In particular, several Axinites developed names for themselves as gladiatrices, participating in the Diopside Games and placing very high on the rankings.

At the onset of the Gem War, though, most of them were reassigned to combat roles, filling out Quartz units when they needed extra Gems. At that point, they became known for their propensity for combat in a whole new arena: the arena of war, where they regularly poofed or shattered with relative ease. Half of the equation was their own natural strength-- roughly on the same level as your average Jasper-- but on the flipside was the quality of their weapons. It was said that the blunt clubs, flails, and axes wielded by Axinites were perfect fits for the Gems. Give an Axinite something with cleaving potential and they could give you results.

Turquoise half-recalled all of this information as her very first supervillain took another swing at her, narrowly missing her second left arm. The woman she was fighting (hadn’t one of her goons called her Val?) was clad in a full set of blocky, burnt orange Axinite armor emblazoned with Yellow Diamond’s insignia and wielded a long, spiked club.

Turquoise took to the air above the now-crumbling street; she figured if she had any one advantage, it was flight. That, and a winning personality. “Ohh, nice shots,  _ Val _ . I’m sure you feel very strong and secure in your pilfered obsolete Gem armor now that you know your weapon can’t hit a simple fusion.” She blew a raspberry.

Val’s reaction wasn’t the one she was expecting: a toothy grin as she winded back her lower right arm. “Nope, I feel pretty secure, four-eyes. Especially now that I know you talk too much!”

With that, she threw her club straight at Turquoise. It connected perfectly, the top of the club nailing her straight in the chest, right below her star, and sent her flying through the sky and into a nearby parking garage. In her wake, droplets of water flecked off of her cape like a miniature rainstorm.

She hit the paved floor of the garage with a clinking thud. As she did, the club did something unexpected: it retreated, flying back the way it came. 

_ Era 2 Axinite weaponry had recall triggers installed in it. Right _ , she thought to herself.  _ Press a button and it comes flying back. Simulated a proper, summoned Gem weapon _ .

Shaking her head and blinking, she picked herself up off the ground and straightened her glasses and frizzy hair. “Thank you, Peridot’s nerd brain,” she said to herself, “but that does not change the fact that that hit has made me rethink…  _ all  _ of my life choices. I’m only, like, five hours old, but still.”

Just then, she heard a whooshing sound and her eyes darted back to the window. “Aw, Axinite club,  _ please _ don’t come back and gut punch me again. Please be nice.”

And the club did return… With its owner in tow. Val crashed through the wall in the garage, knocking away more rubble, and landed, forming potholes in the ground. “You aren’t any of the ones I was warned about, so I’ll cut you some slack, lady. Back off now and my boss might go easy on ya.”

_ ‘Warned about?’  _ Turquoise thought, but she quickly tabled it for future reference. Fight now, talk later. She folded her lower set of arms across her chest and held her main arms out to her sides, her hands balled into fists. “My name is Turquoise,” she said, resummoning her glasses to return them to their usual sheen, “and I was done backing off the moment I came into being.”

And she leaped forward, ready to meet the force of Axinite weaponry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Went ahead and included some Gem lore stuff because I couldn't resist. Hope y'all like it-- Axinite the Gem is an OC of mine, so I included a few nods to my backstory for her there. Updates should continue as usual!  
> Also, with Turquoise's design, I ended up including elements from a couple of designs I really like: the design by Tumblr user ahhween (the hair and the existence of suspenders) and Tumblr user cheerkitty1410 (the color scheme, the cape). Do check them out and give them some love, they're both great designs by wonderful artists!


	4. Let's Go, Just Me and You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turquoise and Gladiatrix' fight reaches its climax!

Turquoise didn’t know why, but Homeworld metals didn’t seem to like cooperating with ferrokinesis. Peridot had learned it the hard way in the battle with White Diamond when she had to strain like never before to get ahold of Bismuth’s armor and save the big Gem from going crack on the ground. And now, it seemed, Turquoise was learning, too, as she tried and failed to stop her opponent from firing another laser at her. 

The beam of energy emanated from the Diamond insignia on the Axinite armor’s chest. The design was old and analogue, but  _ stars _ was in effective. At the last minute, Turquoise sought out a stray piece of metal from her surroundings-- settling on a car door-- to deflect it. Obviously, it wasn’t enough; the white-hot energy shredded the thin sheet of metal and passed right through her torso.

Before, when the blast had just hit an arm, the sensation was a stinging, followed by a burning. This time, both happened at once at much greater volume. It even grazed her gem--  _ Lapis’  _ gem, leaving a hot spot on its fat teardrop edge. She felt a piece of her that she’d never truly recover simply fade away from her. Granted, she’d be able to regenerate the circular hole in her in a few seconds’ time, but that was  _ her _ light. The light that Lapis and Peridot had put together to form her.

“How’s the superhero thing goin’ for you so far?” Val asked mockingly as she began to charge towards her, fists winding back to attack.

Turquoise stood perfectly still, perfectly neutral in expression. That shot had made things  _ personal _ . And now? Now, she, a fusion of  _ Peridot and Lapis Lazuli _ , was being charged at by a big, haughty, orange woman. 

Yeah, Val was  _ in for it _ .

Val’s massive fists were stopped in their tracks, two hands holding each perfectly in place. The woman was strong, but Turquoise was stronger. Not much could ever be stronger than love boiled into righteous anger.

“Superhero thing’s going pretty well, don’t you think, you wannabe gladiatrix clod?” She finally replied, her voice almost devoid of emotion. 

Val only growled in response. “I’ve tried to be polite, girl scout,” she began, seething, “but now I’m startin’ to think I don’t need a raise to take you out!”

Turquoise smirked. “Keep trying, by all means.”

She took a step forward. And another. And another. And then she  _ pushed _ .

The two of them went flying out the other side of the parking garage, transformed into speeding bullets. They threw punches at each other, though in practice it was more just flailing, desperately hoping to land hits as they sailed through the space between buildings. A few seconds later, they both smashed through the wall on a nearby shopping mall and into its crowded center, sending the nearby shoppers into a panic. 

Turquoise got up, looking for Val; the two had been separated when the went in. The hired gun was nowhere in sight, though it was clear she’d been there. 20 feet or so from Turquoise was another small crater in the ground.

She looked up at the startled mallgoers who hadn’t ran screaming in the chaos. “Did you see where she went?” she asked, her face now a mask of worry.

Finally, one of them, a long-haired woman dressed in the uniform of a nearby store, pointed silently behind Turquoise. Looking now, she could see a trail: Val had left potholes where she stepped due to the armor.

“Thank you,” said Turquoise, and with a nod, she took off in pursuit.

After a few minutes of running/flying, Turquoise caught up to the woman in the Axinite armor. She was almost out of the mall, only a few feet from the door, but her clunky battle gear turned her attempt at a full run into more of a jog. Panting, she sprinted forward and launched herself out of the double doors, leaving them broken wrecks, and out to the street beyond.

Turquoise frowned. What was Val’s escape plan here? Usually, villains had an exit strategy, like a getaway vehicle, or a teleportation device, or...oh.  _ Oh. _

Turquoise smiled. This would be too easy.

* * *

 

Val was thankful that the alien tech she was wearing gave her enough strength to rip open the manhole cover with her bare hands. Now, though, she was loathing its continued existence; she could barely fit into the sewer tunnel. Nervously, she took out an earpiece and attached it while dialing a number on her wrist gauntlet’s control panel.

“I managed to get what you wanted, but I was intercepted on the way out. Heading back to base now-- E.T.A. ten minutes,” she said quietly. 

As she hung up, she heard the water behind her splash.

She turned around and immediately pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh, you  _ glow _ , too?” She asked exasperatedly.

“Well, yeah,” said Turquoise, smirking. “I think we’ve established that I can do a lot more than you.”

Val got into a fighting stance. “Alright then, blue. One more round, one-on-one, winner take all. Unless you’re one of those lame superheroes with a rule about that sort of thing.”

In response, the fusion let out a chuckle, which, Val had to admit, terrified her more than it should have. “One on  _ two _ , actually,” she began “and I don’t think you quite get what’s gonna happen right now. See, we’re in a sewer. The walls are covered in metal pipes and you’re standing in water. I won the minute you tried to run down here.”

And with that, she began executing the plan. With her lower set of arms, she commanded the water below Val’s feet to form into sturdy chains, holding her down, while with her upper arms she pulled the pipes from the walls, fashioning them into arm restraints.

Lapis and Peridot hadn’t been as useful on Homeworld because their powers didn’t have much to hold onto there. But Earth was their home; Earth was  _ Turquoise’s _ home.

She put one final strip of metal over Val’s mouth to keep her from shouting and, without further adieu, levitated back out of the sewer with the large woman in tow. Outside, on the street, a small crowd had gathered, comprised of a combination of curious bystanders from the mall and the street outside. 

As Turquoise placed her feet on the ground, one woman from the front of the crowd approached her, holding a tape recorder. “Diane Gould, Empire City Daily,” she began, “what exactly just…  _ happened? _ ” 

Turquoise looked down at her quizzically, unsure of how to respond. “I suppose… I happened,” she said. “ _ Love _ happened--”

But before she could continue, she felt a hand on her shoulder, a hand which two sides of her mind immediately recognized. She turned around without hesitation.

“We should talk,” said Garnet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're excited to see where the story goes next-- I know I am! I also hope y'all enjoy this double-sized chapter, which I wasn't initially planning on doing, but I just couldn't let this fight drag on for too long.  
> Next time: let's see how the rest of the Crystal Gems feel about Turquoise...  
> Oh, and I hope any of my more loyal readers caught the cameos from Rhiannon and Diane, the romantic interests from Pearls' Night Out, my other fic! It's not important to the story, but it's safe to assume some version of that fic's events took place here. Lastly, Gladiatrix is officially Val's supervillain name.


	5. Revisited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turquoise takes a breather from superheroics to see how the other Crystal Gems are reacting to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you forget that this was a Steven Universe fic? That's okay, me too-- hopefully this chapter fixes that.  
> Also, I cannot BELIEVE how long this one got. I had initially wanted to write 500-1000 words per chapter, and yet....  
> Anyway, read on for fluff and angst!

For the fifth time that day, Jasper slapped the various figures off of the map of Beach City. “No no  _ no _ , if we put Snowflake Obsidian on Bay Street the commute to Amazonite’s shop will take too long! Any Gem looking for new clothes will be  _ doomed!” _

Pearl, in response, let out a shriek and scrambled to pick up the various figures, denoting the humans and now-uncorrupted Gems they were soon to share their town with. “Be that as it may,” she began, a stern and determined look on her face, “I  _ believe _ in Snowflake. I believe she’s strong enough to make that four-block trip.”

The larger Gem scoffed, but it softened midway and turned into a chuckle. “Heh, typical Crystal Gem thinking,” she said, baring her canines in a toothy grin. “All about the power of the self.”

Pearl huffed, then began to develop a wicked grin of her own as she realized something. “Well, if that’s really how you feel…” Jasper narrowed her eyes. “...I suppose you can go without a Pearl Point today.”

At this, Jasper’s eyes grew wide with shock. “You wouldn’t  _ dare _ ,” she said, sounding dead serious. 

The thin Gem stood back up with all of the figures. “Oh, I dare.”

“ _ Guys!” _

Jasper was just about to throw a punch when Steven intervened. The boy came up to them, holding a clipboard. “ _ Where _ is Snowflake staying?” he said, clicking a pen.

“Bay Street--”

“Boardwalk Street--”

And the two continued to argue amongst themselves. “Er, alright… guess I’ll mark her as TBD,” he said, marking down the fourth TBD that day. Pearl and Jasper: more alike than he expected… maybe too alike for their own good. He turned to them once more. “Oh, and the Nephrites still need to talk to you.” But Jasper and Pearl were back to arguing, so he just walked away.

Steven sighed and made his way up the stairs to his bed, plopping down in front of the TV with Garnet. For once, Steven wasn’t in the mood for Crying Breakfast Friends and absentmindedly started flipping through channels. Beside him, Garnet didn’t budge, her expression its usual flavor of stoic while she pet Cat Steven.

As he was flipping through the channels, he passed by the news-- something weird was happening in Empire City, but he didn’t think much of it and continued channel-surfing.

“Wait. Go back.”

Garnet had put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. Steven knew her well enough to know just from her tone when she was reacting in surprise. He changed back to the state news.

“Our correspondent is telling us that the brawl between the two people, at least one of whom seems to have…  _ superpowers _ … has come to an end. It looks like one of them has apprehended the other--”

When the camera zoomed in on the winner of the battle, a tall, four-armed figure with frizzy, five-pointed hair, bluish skin, glasses, a cape made of water, and an outfit that looked  _ very _ familiar in two different ways, Steven understood why Garnet was seemingly freaking out.

“Uh, guys…?” He asked, turning to the rest of the Crystal Gems. “You should see this.”

* * *

 

Garnet touched the plane-- which she had “borrowed” from Andy for lack of a convenient warp pad near or in Empire City-- down on the open field in front of the Barn, where the rest of the Crystal Gems were waiting nervously. Turquoise soon followed, landing on the ground while Garnet stepped out of the cockpit.

The permafusion stood in front of Turquoise, her expression neutral. After a moment’s pause, Garnet spoke quietly. “Your name.”

Turquoise was taken by surprise. “M-my name?” she said. She was nervous; they hadn’t spoken on the trip back, but she just had a gut feeling that she was… in trouble for something.

“Your name,” Garnet repeated. “Tell me it.”

_ Seems simple enough,  _ she thought. “Oh… Turquoise. I’m Turquoise.” She folded her secondary arms across her chest and looked at the ground before continuing. “And if you have a problem with that, then--”

She was cut off by the maroon gem pulling her into a firm hug, which, while taken aback, she returned after a second. She took the opportunity to look behind Garnet, at the other Gems. Steven, of course, had stars in his eyes, while Amethyst was giving a little thumps up. Bismuth, ever the big softie, was shedding tears. Pearl, meanwhile, was pacing tracks in the grass and nervously straightening her jacket. 

Jasper wasn’t there. That suited Turquoise just fine.

Finally, Garnet pulled away from Turquoise, a smile on her face. Scratch that-- she was positively  _ beaming _ . “Turquoise, I am  _ so _ happy for you.”

Now it was Turquoise’s turn to cry, a couple of tears trickling down from her glasses. “Thank you,” she said, smiling faintly. She hoped Garnet could hear how much she meant it.

With that out of the way, the rest of her friends flocked to her and Garnet, Steven practically tripping from how quickly he ran over. He looked giddy, like a nervous fan meeting a celebrity. “Lapis and Peridot fusion! This is so cool!” he exclaimed.

“About time,” Bismuth said, having regained her composure. 

“Yeah,” said Amethyst, “we’ve been waiting  _ forever _ for y’all to get together.”

Turquoise chuckled. Steven came in for a hug, though he barely breached half of her height, so Turquoise could only return it with her secondary arms. She turned to face Amethyst. “The time just felt… right,” she said, finally taking the time to reflect on her own existence. “It felt like the world could use a little love, y’know?”

In response, Amethyst fist-pumped. “I hear that,” she said enthusiastically. “There has been  _ way _ too much bad stuff recently, with the trip to Homeworld and all. We all need a victory lap.”

Bismuth rubbed her left elbow, something on her mind. “So, are you gonna stay… you?” she asked. 

Turquoise’s four eyes went wide, before her face straightened out and she chuckled softly. “Manners, Bismuth,” Garnet said, sternly; fusion was serious business and she knew from experience that some Gems were… iffy on that question starting out.

But the tall blue gem put up a hand in apology. “No, no, it’s okay.” She put a hand to her chin, gathering her thoughts-- or rather, her component’s thoughts, in this case. “I’m… probably gonna unfuse sometime soon. Lapis and Peridot do love each other very much, but they’re just getting started,” she checked her friends’ reactions: they seemed understanding. “For now, though? Yeah, I’m sticking around,” she said, determined. “I’ve still got work to do.”

The stars were back in Steven’s eyes. Turquoise-- or Lapis and Peridot-- hadn’t seen him this excited for a hot minute. “Yeah, you’re doing superhero stuff!”

“Exactly. Empire City-- and the world-- needs protecting. I might try to get a place there, maybe a secret identity. Living among humans in secret could be fun!”

Steven frowned. “But… you’re blue, tall, and have extra eyes and arms.”

“...This is true.”

Pearl took that as her cue to join the rest of the group. She was, at this point, a powder keg-- Turquoise knew Worried Pearl well, based on Peridot’s recollection. “Turquoise, while I’m sure you’re great and mean well, have you considered what being a…  _ superhero _ … might mean for everyone? We’re not exactly on the news that often,” she said, wringing her hands.

Garnet put a reassuring hand on Pearl’s shoulder. “Pearl,” she said, “we’ve been very involved in human affairs before. A little more exposure shouldn’t cause that many problems, especially when it’s just Turquoise and not any other Gems.”

The thinner Gem let out a sigh of exasperation and slight relief. “You have a point.” She then turned back to Turquoise. “But I’d appreciate it if you tried to keep away from cameras in the future.”

Turquoise gave a grimace and a week thumbs up. “I’ll do my best.”

Pearl looked apprehensive, trying to find the right words for what she was about to say. Then: “And… let us know if you need any help, alright?”

Turquoise smiled faintly. “Of course. I’m done being afraid of things… and I’m done trying to do things alone.”

The moment was interrupted by Amethyst lightly punching one of her lower arms, causing her to jump in surprise. Even further surprising her, Amethyst had an uncharacteristically stern expression on her face. “Peri’s my best friend. Do  _ not _ blow this for her.”

Turquoise could only laugh at such an absurd suggestion. She knew that Amethyst was addressing Lapis specifically… and that Lapis would never do anything to hurt Peri ever again. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

It was at this moment that Pearl noticed one member of their party was missing: their current houseguest. “Oh! Where’s Jasp--”

Garnet put a hand over Pearl’s mouth right as Pearl cut herself off, having remembered just  _ who _ she was talking to. Those efforts were too late, though; the nerve had been plucked, as was evident in Turquoise’s expression. 

Turquoise split her cape into a pair of water wings and straightened her suspenders. Preparing to take off. She turned back to look at her friends, suddenly looking very tired. 

“I’ll be at the Temple.”

* * *

 

Jasper sat on the hill near the lighthouse, absentmindedly drumming on her practice pad. Much as she hated to admit it, she was glad Pink--Rose--  _ Steven _ had introduced her to music and convinced her to try out percussion instruments. It definitely helped to keep her occupied and mellowed out. She was pretty sure that if she had an outburst around anyone other than Pearl or Amethyst, she’d be kicked to the curb.

It wouldn’t be the wrong thing to do.

She had stayed behind when Steven excitedly announced that Lapis and Peridot had fused. She knew she would  _ not _ be received well if the assumptions were correct. And, again, she didn’t blame whatever Lapis and Peridot’s fusion had called itself.

She wasn’t  _ jealous _ or anything-- she had come to terms with the fact that she and Lapis Lazuli were  _ terrible  _ for each other a while ago-- but… okay, she did have to admit it: she missed being part of a fusion. She felt so strong, so secure, so much… better than she did now. 

Malachite was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a corrupted disgrace.

These thoughts raced through her mind right as the object of them touched down on the nearby beach.

Turquoise locked eyes with her and she dematerialized her glasses. And in an instant, she and Jasper communicated everything they were both feeling: anger, fear, envy,  _ deep _ regret. Everything except an apology.

They looked at each other for a long time. No words were exchanged. That would have to do for now.


	6. Con Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's convention season as Lapis, Peridot, Connie, and Steven hit DelmarvaCon! But why aren't Lapis and Peri going as Turquoise?  
> Meanwhile, a mysterious adversary begins a bizarre scheme...

The enigmatic CEO of Prism Solutions was seated in her office, awaiting an appointment that was running late. It was... _ irksome _ that humans were so often like this, so committed to their imperfections that it detrimented everyone around them. In any other situation, she would not have given them a second thought and just terminated them, but she was trying something new. 

It seemed like a good time for such a thing. The Diamonds relinquishing power, Earth’s officially being deemed as the first Era 3 Gem Colony. Even the Pearls were free now! It was so strange, so--

“Ma’am? The Fryman person is here,” came a slight, mousy voice through an intercom, completely interrupting her train of thought.

She tried to shake those thoughts off. That was the  _ old _ her, she reminded herself. The her that was so  _ far _ from perfection. This was all for a good cause. She would make everything just perfect.

“Send him in, Iolite.”

A moment later, the door to her office slid open and Ronaldo Fryman walked in, holding a handheld camera. He was panning it around the room and the hallway he had come through, trying to capture the pale yellow walls and the angular shapes that composed them. Suddenly, though, his camera simply turned itself off. The CEO smiled to herself-- she could punish him  _ a little _ for his lateness.

“Mr. Fryman,” she said, turning her chair away from the floor-to-ceiling windows to face the strange-haired boy. “So nice of you to join me.” She eyed his outfit-- was he wearing armor? “And so well-dressed, too.”

Ronaldo awkwardly sat down across from her, twiddling his thumbs and panting. “I-- thank you, miss,” he said in between breaths. “I want you to know that I value your offer a lot. I ran all the way here from DelmarvaCon to meet you here on time, though I did stop to get some film and--”

The CEO pulled out a mirror to check her curly hair while Ronaldo went on about how he _totally hadn’t_ _gone looking for Prism Solutions’ R &D division to look at their cutting-edge hologram tech._ Were all humans like this? She had assumed so, but now she wasn’t sure. Surely they couldn’t all be _this_ grating.

She put up a hand to quiet him, which he did momentarily. “I assume you have answer for me?” she asked.

Ronaldo, who was now feeling a little dejected from being silenced in the middle of his impassioned condemnation of the Camp Pining Hearts fanbase, perked up at the CEO’s question. “Oh, it’s a definite  _ yes _ from me, Ms. Knight!” he proclaimed. He got out of his chair, proudly raising a fist. “With your generous donation, I assure you I can make Keep the World Weird the greatest ten seasons of documentary television  _ ever made _ !”

She grimaced.  _ Sound enthusiastic, sound enthusiastic. _ “Yes, I am sure you will, Ronaldo,”  _ okay a little too enthusiastic _ , “starting with your accounting of, ah…” she looked down at the novel-length pitch Ronaldo had sent her. “...Sewer goblins?”

Ronaldo’s face fell. “The Empire City sewer goblins,” he said, grimly serious. “I  _ will _ find them, and I will make them  _ pay _ for taking the DelmarvaCon cosplay judges!”

Ms. Knight turned to face the window. “I look forward to it, Mr. Fryman. Though, as you know, you will need to do something for me before I can pull the strings to get you that full series order…”

“Anything.”

She smiled and turned to open up a desk drawer, retrieving the device she needed him to test. This was going to be… perfect.

* * *

 

Connie and Steven hadn’t stopped singing, quoting, and pumping their fists since the train had departed for Empire City. Lapis, meanwhile, hadn’t stopped having second thoughts about this. 

She turned to look at Peridot for the umpteenth time, partially out of worry and partially to calm herself down. They had decided to unfuse for a bit the day before, since Peridot had wanted some time to, quite literally, be herself. She knew it wasn’t a great thing to do, but Lapis hadn’t stopped questioning why. She was worried that their time together as Turquoise had been upsetting somehow. Had Peridot felt some remnant of Lapis and Jasper’s time as Malachite?

Her train of thought was thankfully interrupted when the object of her thoughts stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to her cheek, reaching up to fiddle with Lapis’ hat. “I still don’t think it’s crooked enough,” Peridot said.

Lapis blushed and moved the hat so that it was more sideways and leaned down to give Peridot a pat on the head. “I think you did a wonderful job… Pierre,” she said, putting one hand over Peri’s.

The shorter Gem was about to respond in the most tongue-tied way possible when Steven called over to them from across the train’s aisle. “Yeah, Peridot, your costumes rock! Everyone there is gonna line up for pictures with you guys!”

Beside him, Connie smiled and held onto her book bag. “So, run it by me again,” she began, “you want to do  _ what _ to Paulette’s actress?”

Peridot, in response, reached into her satchel and pulled out a massive stack of paper, all of it covered in text. “It’s simple. I’m going to read my critique of her acting and characterization, in full, and make her see the error of her ways. What she did in season 5 was unforgivable.”

Connie furrowed her brow. “But I’ve heard she’s super nice!” she exclaimed. “There’s all kinds of stories online about how cool she is at cons.”

“What a two-faced clod,” Peridot replied bluntly. “When she hears what I have to say, everyone at DelmarvaCon will know what she’s really like.” She reached a hand up to Lapis for a high-five, which was immediately reciprocated.

Steven looked over at the group. “Sooo… Crystal Temps reunion?” he asked quietly, anxious to change the topic of conversation.

Peridot looked down at her feet. “It’s not the same without Pumpkin, though.”

Lapis put a protective arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure Andy is taking good care of her.”

Connie’s eyes darted between the two of them. She had wanted to ask about it since they had started the train ride.  _ Better now than never,  _ she thought. “Sooo… Will Turquoise be making an appearance at DelmarvaCon?”

As Lapis’ shoulders hunched in worry, Peridot let out a light chuckle that took her fears away momentarily. “It’s a possibility!” she said. She looked over at her new partner. “I mean, if Lapis is okay with it.”

Once again, the two locked their hands together as the train announced their stop. “Let’s take our time,” she said happily. She felt silly for worrying; they were doing just fine.

The three newly-reunited Crystal Temps trailed behind the skipping Steven into the convention’s massive check-in room and got their tickets. Steven and Connie both marveled at the numerous cosplayers there, but Lapis and Peri were firmly focused on each other.

Neither pairs noticed the two Gem Mutants following them in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, sorry this chapter is a couple days late, y'all. I have had a VERY busy weekend-- I went to a convention myself, where I was fortunate enough to meet the four main cast members of SU! It's definitely got me jazzed to keep writing stories like this.  
> With that out of the way, welcome to the second story arc! Based on my outline, it's looking like the fic will go on for six story arcs, or around 30-40 chapters. We're here for the long haul! Hope y'all enjoy the Crystal Temps' con shenanigans, more Lapidot fluff, and the hints I've dropped to the identity of our Lex Luthor-esque big bad. I'm probably gonna be going weekly for the rest of the month, due to finals and job hunting, but I'll try to keep the chapters on the longer side. Also, Lapidot Anniversary Week's at the end of the month, so look forward to my entries for that!  
> Next time: Lapis and Peridot face off with Paulettecy fans and artificial fusions!


	7. Star-Struck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis and Peridot get involved in convention drama and meet a monster.

As one of the state’s most popular conventions, DelmarvaCon had a lot going for it. Within the main convention hall, itself an expansive area of Empire City’s convention center, were a number of attractions, including an arcade, a retailer area, and artist’s alley, and a cosplay photo area. The celebrity guests, meanwhile, were kept in the farthest reach of the hall, probably in an attempt by the convention runners to get attendees to spend their money before making it all the way there.

“Lapis, Peridot!” Steven called, rushing towards them. “I found a cool fanartist if you wanna go check out their booth--”

As he talked, the two zipped away, making a beeline for the back of the hall.

He let out a sad huff and turned towards Connie, who had been trailing behind him. “I’m sure they’ll be fine, Steven,” she said, smiling reassuringly.

Steven didn’t want to admit it, but he had been worried about Lapis and Peridot since hearing about their fusion as Turquoise. Had they talked through Lapis’ decision to leave? Were they still… okay? For once, he had no idea, and he wanted to keep an eye on them while they were out at the con.

He furrowed his brow before letting out a small chuckle. He had been worrying himself-- Pearl was rubbing off on him, it seemed. “You’re right. No more Gem War! It’s time to celebrate!”

From the far wall of the convention hall, though, he was being watched. The-like Gem shards that made up the center of the bulky Gem Mutant’s head turned and focused on Steven. To its current-- what had Ms. Knight called it?-- operator zeroed in on the strong Gem signature. The two weaker ones would be handled shortly by the second of the pair.

_ Alright, test run! Let’s get what we deserve,  _ he thought.

Meanwhile, Lapis and Peridot were waiting in line for Kim Tan, the actress behind Paulette in Camp Pining Hearts. Peridot anxiously paced (or, in this case, shuffled back and forth in place), reading over her essay again and again. This was  _ serious _ ; she had to get it right, no screwing up.

Peridot stopped and turned to Lapis. “What do you see up in front?”

The taller Gem stood on her tiptoes above the line to look at the red-haired woman currently posing for pictures with a young fan. “She’s taking more pictures,” she said irritably. She had  _ not _ expected the line to be this long and slow-- who in their right minds would come to see  _ Paulette? _

“The poster child of vanity,” Peridot replied, suspiciously eyeing the other people in line with her. “She knows  _ exactly _ what she did with that forced romantic subplot in the season 5 finale. Destroyed the show’s most powerful relationship! She will  _ answer _ for her behavior with Percy!”

Lapis was about to let out an equally-impassioned reply when her shoulder was tapped by the person behind her. She turned to look in disgust-- a Paulette cosplayer. 

“How can we help you, inferior being?” asked Peridot. Lapis smiled at her-- when not directed at her, she  _ loved _ Elitist Peridot. 

“Well,  _ ah _ ,” she began. “I think you’re being a  _ little _ harsh. You have an opinion, and that’s fine! But I don’t think Kim deserves a whole rant that I think the writers deserve more than anyone,” she chuckled, hoping the Gems would follow suit; her hope was found wanting. “Plus, I mean, her kids are with her?”

Wordlessly, Peridot stepped forward until she was directly in front of her. Had Peridot still had her limb enhancers, they would have  _ almost _ been eye level. “I can observe 800 moving objects and compute their direction of travel,” she said, flatly. “What do  _ you _ know about the relationship dynamics of a human Canadian summer camp comedy/drama that  _ I _ don’t?” She punctuated it with a loud “nyehehe,” turning a couple heads from elsewhere in the line.

Lapis couldn’t help it; Peridot was too  _ cute. _ She reached down and took one of Peri’s hands in hers. They fit together perfectly. She glanced down and smiled warmly, a gesture that the smaller Gem returned.

The woman looked at them blankly. “Oooh-kay,” she said finally. “I’ll leave you to it. Have fun with your Piercy alien AU cosplay, I guess.”

With her free hand, Peridot pointed at the woman. “And we  _ will _ , you cl--”

“ _ Oooh! _ Bring them up here!”

Peridot, Lapis, and their current unfortunate victim all turned in recognition. The line ahead of them had parted and standing at its front, stars in her eyes, was the actress whom they had come to see.

“Come on!” she said, her enthusiasm infectious. “Don’t be shy!”

The three exchanged hesitant glances and stepped forward. Once they were at the front, Peridot anxiously cleared her throat as the woman appraised the three of them. 

“I have  _ got _ to get a couple photos with you. Your costumes are great!” she said, beaming; the line cheered in agreement and she turned to face it. “I promise I’ll get to you as soon as possible!” she called out.

Peridot lifted a finger. “Well, actually, I’m here to--”

But before she could get another word out, though, the group was urged to all get together for a couple of group photos. The end result was a burst of images featuring two  _ elated _ Paulette, a blank-faced Percy, and the contorted, flabbergasted face of a small, green Pierre. Finally, they separated and lined up before Tan for autographs. 

When it came time for Peridot and Lapis, this time, Peridot was prepared. Standing up straight, she slammed her stack of papers against the table wordlessly. “I would have  _ words _ , Paulette,” she said in her most professional tone.

The actress cast a glance at the paper, her eyes wide in surprise. Peridot watched her eyes move across the paper quickly, before she burst out laughing and picked the papers up and moved to put them into her bag. Peridot stood bewildered and stuttering. “B-b-but I--”

Kim Tan, the actress who had, for so long, been the target of Peridot and Lapis’ ire, turned to look at them, grinning. “I know the writer of the finale’s address,” she whispered slyly, giving them a wink.

Finally, the two Gems were escorted away, their masks of pure confusion. Lapis stood still for a moment, looking back at the line. 

“What a monster,” she said.

Peridot scoffed. “Total control freak! And she never acknowledges when things are  _ her fault _ , like when Paulette--”

Her rant was interrupted when a crystalline fist connected with her chest and sent her tumbling across the ground.

On instinct, Lapis activated her water wings and zipped towards her beloved, grabbing her by the shoulders as she lay sprawled out on the stone floor.

She turned to face the creature that had done this. It was a Gem Mutant, an experimental fusion of shattered gem shards, but something about this one looked… different than those the Crystal Gems had encountered before. Its body, a mismatch of multicolored, jagged, sturdy rock, was more solid, and it had what looked like a headband around its head. And now it was standing still, looking at them.

Lapis let go of Peridot and zipped forward to attack. She didn’t get the chance.

A second, similar Mutant was slammed against the first one, sending the two flying into the artist’s alley and tearing down several booths in their wake. Lapis turned to see who she owed thanks to and was met with a familiar sight: an androgynous being holding a sword and shield, the pink glow of a Gem visible on their belly.

Stevonnie tilted their head towards Peridot. “Little help?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness of the chapter, everyone-- finals week just went by for me.  
> Anyways, did you know that Deedee Magno Hall (voice of Pearl) voices Paulette for her brief appearance in SU? Thought that was interesting. Hope you're pleased with the slight fluff and the appearance by Stevonnie!  
> Next chapter: Lapis, Peridot (maybe Turquoise?) and Stevonnie do some sleuthing on the source of the new Gem Mutants.


	8. OTP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot and Lapis get it together with a little help from an old friend and take the fight to their opponents.

To say that there are probably hundreds of sword-fighting styles around the world is a conservative estimate. Factor in over two millennia of history and that number becomes even larger-- many people over a long period of time have created many new and inventive ways of holding and striking with bladed weaponry. Kenjutsu, Arnis, and Fencing are just three names in a long list.

And Pearl? She knew quite a few of them.

Pearl’s style of fighting was a masterful synthesis of everything she had learned from her time on Earth and, indeed, thanks to Rose, from other worlds entirely. It was bold, precise,  _ experimental, _ above all else, entirely  _ hers. _ She had taught Connie well, despite initial difficulties, so when it came time for Steven to learn how to defend himself with a shield, it was no surprise that he was a fast learner, too. She had said she enjoyed thinking of her lessons as a history class. A day spent teaching Steven how to successfully shield Connie was a recounting of the days of Sparta, and the swings of Connie’s sword were made prouder by Pearl’s lecture on her lifting of Excalibur. 

When they fused into Stevonnie, then, the learning curve grew steeper. It was the Fusion’s responsibility not just to learn combat with both a sword and shield, it was their responsibility to  _ weaponize humanity’s history _ . They were an experience just as much as they were the  _ sum _ of their components’ experiences.

Their shield collided with the chest of the advancing Gem Mutant with a dull “THUNK” and hit the ground weakly before dematerializing. Human history’s weapons had gone dull.

Eyes wide, they turned back to the closer Mutant and swung their sword with both hands. It caught the blade in its own. “Uh,  _ Lapis _ ?” they called out to the Ocean Gem, who was on the floor muttering to Peridot. “Don’t know about you guys’ experience, but I’m not doin’ so hot!” they backstepped away, yanking their sword from the thing’s larger hands.

Lapis wasn’t paying attention; she was too focused on the smaller green Gem, who was still unconscious. It wasn’t  _ like _ her-- Peridots were notoriously hard to break. She lightly shook her amid a rapid-fire torrent of “Peri”s and “we need you”s. 

Finally, Peridot opened her eyes a sliver and groaned. Something wasn’t…  _ right _ with her. There was a sensation, deep in her Gem, where no should have existed. Like a… pull?

“There’s a big magnet nearby…” she said, without thinking.

Lapis stared at her bewildered for a moment, not responding. “...We can do this.” She reached a hand down to help Peridot up, then put her hands on the shorter Gem’s shoulders. “We’ll go find your big magnet in a minute.” Peridot couldn’t help but smile.

The two embraced, a well-rehearsed movement at this point, and a brilliant light emanated from them. It grew to a dazzling intensity, not quite blue and not quite green, as it shifted and molded itself into place.

Four sets of knuckles cracked as Turquoise, wearing the combined outfits of Percy and Pierre, moved her arms upward like a conductor at a concert. The ground below one of the Gem Mutants, the one Stevonnie had just evaded, began to shake. She winced and held herself steady-- this was gonna take some work.

“Funny thing about…  _ buildings,” _ she said through gritted teeth. “If you had a brain… you’d know that their foundations usually have something  _ metal  _ in them.”

With that, the ground gave in and rose up in a split second, catapulting the creature into the air and across the room. “I’ve met  _ Pebbles _ smarter than you!” she called out, before realizing the… confusing nature of the statement. “Or, er, half of me has?”

Turquoise shook herself off and took a deep breathe in relief. She felt different this time. Not psychologically-- Lapis and Peridot were just fine with their relationship-- but… spiritually? 

There it was again. Like Peridot had just felt. A ringing, a tugging in the pit of her two Gems. An urge. It was like what Peridot had called  _ the itch _ , the unpleasant sensation she got in the back of her Gem whenever she used her limb enhancers. The feeling that something was there that didn’t  _ need _ to be.

She saw Stevonnie running up to her and found them difficult to process. And the urge got stronger. The urge to be perfect. The urge to be  _ complete-- _

She shook her head and dematerialized her goggles, blinked to clear her mind. 

Stevonnie saw the mask of discomfort on her face. Their smile fell-- Steven’s worry again. “Hey, nice job,” they said. “You, uh, doing okay?”

Turquoise waved a dismissive hand and began set to work bending the water out of a nearby cooler to create a cape. “I’m fine. Something is  _ way _ off here, though.” She paused. “I thought you’d gotten rid of all the Fusion Experiments. Bubbled them or something.”

Stevonnie’s grew serious. “That makes two--” their eyes widened “--two?-- of us. Guess we missed a few.” They looked behind them, gauging how far away the lumbering second Gem Mutant was. “Do you… feel that, too?”

“The  _ itch? _ Yeah, I do. Gem Mutants normally don’t do stuff like this,” she said, thinking out loud.  _ “Unless--” _

These gem Mutants looked nothing like any that Peridot had on record, as far as she could remember. And that tugging…

What had Peridot called it? A magnet.

Turquoise turned to face the second Gem Mutant, now much closer than before. “I think something’s controlling them,” she said. “I’m gonna go towards where I think it is and try to take Thing One with me. You grab Thing Two and follow me.”

Stevonnie gave a nod and a small “hmph” of approval in response. Turquoise grinned-- as serious as the situation was, this was  _ showtime _ , and a couple of Gem Mutants weren’t going to take that away. She zipped forward, flying across the floor and grabbing the Gem Mutant by its craggy shoulders, then made a U-turn, flying towards one of the convention hall’s exits.

The two bodies rammed through the door, Turquoise using the Mutant to shield from the impact, and into a corridor to the screams of convention-goers. Many of them got up and ran, as was the human wont, but a few stayed to gawk, a couple taking out their cellphones to record or photograph the scene.

“Soooo… are you Pierre or Percy?”

She turned to the person-- it was the Paulette cosplayer from earlier. 

Turquoise turned the resisting Gem Mutant around and lead it to a nearby escalator, going down. She looked the woman dead in the eyes and delivered a tremendous kick into the Mutant’s pack, punting it down the automated steps at lightning speed. “I’m Pierrcy, and I’m  _ saving your life _ .” She flashed a smirk, winked, and took off after the creature.

The escalator descended to the convention center’s first floor, though this particular one was nowhere near any public exit. It was a hallway near a set of currently-unused ballrooms, all of them supposedly locked. One, though, was ajar.

Turquoise locked her secondary arms with the Gem Mutant as Stevonnie and the other Mutant tumbled down the stairs. She puts her primary hands to her head-- this was  _ definitely  _ it. The sensation was downright painful in this spot. And, judging by the inhuman groans coming from the Mutants and Stevonnie’s gritted teeth, the other Gems in the room agreed.

Nevertheless, she pressed on. She dashed into the room, where she could see one person laying on the ground in its center. 

Ronaldo was splayed out on the floor, the apparatus Ms. Knight had given him firmly on his head. He had been told it was virtual reality, a new game about fighting aliens who were out to destroy modern media. He was giggling, enjoying the act of “playing” as two “characters” at once.

And, now, it was three.

“Signature locked! Gotcha,” he mumbled to himself. It had taken some work, but he had cracked their code.

Turquoise stared at him in disbelief.  _ This _ was the source of their problems? The conspiracy boy from Beach City?

“What in the stars are you--”

She felt cold steel pass through her secondary left arm. Felt the stinging pain of losing a little light. Behind her, Stevonnie’s expression went flat. And they raised their blade, ready to weaponize history once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, y'all! I should now be back on my regular upload schedule, now that I'm free from college for a few months. That said, I make no promises for the 20th to 26th of this month because hey, that's Lapidot Anniversary Week! I'm gonna try to have a story for each day of that week, so I may not be able to update Supergem that week. The day 7 prompt does call for "Season 6" though....  
> Next time: Turquoise. Versus. Stevonnie.


	9. Fusion Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turquoise versus Stevonnie. Need more be said?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for light mentions of trauma and abuse in this chapter.

The blade of the new sword Bismuth forged for Connie would, if sold, cost tens of thousands of U.S. Dollars. Its pink coloration came from pezzottaite, a hard mineral with only two known deposits in the world; Bismuth had taken some from one such deposit (thereby exhausting it), combined it with old-fashioned Homeworld steel, and heated and sharpened it immaculately. It was, in her opinion, one of her better works-- sharp, balanced, and durable enough to last a long while.

In a convention center in Empire City, Stevonnie was trying to swing Bismuth’s several dozen-thousand dollar masterwork at one of their best friends.

The first swipe took Turquoise by surprise and caused her to wince in pain. The blade had passed through her arm-- conscious manifestation of light and all that-- but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Her lower left arm was, in human terms, numb. That was on top of the ache in her Gems being caused by whatever control device Ronaldo was using. She wasn’t exactly at one-hundred percent.

Before Stevonnie could get a second hit in, she turned around to face her attacker and moved the water that made up her cape in front of herself, forming a shield. Something was  _ very _ wrong with Stevonnie: their eyes were glazed over, unfocused, and their expression was blank. Their limbs jerked and wobbled, like a ragdoll.

Turquoise threw her shield of water forward, into Stevonnie. “Doesn’t cold water wake humans up?”

Stevonnie was thrown backwards across the room, still standing upright. They made no effort to retaliate, though; they just stood, frozen.

She took a few steps towards them, concerned. “You, uh, you good now, Stevonnie? Er, less bad, at least?” She reached an arm out towards their shoulder.

They had the same blank expression on their face, an eerie mask of nothing at all. But one of their eyes was twitching. Soon, tears started coming down their cheek. “T-Turquoise…” their voice was hushed and shaky. “Get the b-bad guy.”

Turquoise didn’t need to be told twice. She turned to Ronaldo, still sprawled out on the floor, and lunged forward. She could end this in a few seconds, just a few seconds. Her emotions were on her side in this; she could feel a fury bubbling through her she had never felt before, and it was powering through her.

It blinded her, though, to the Gem Mutant running towards her. There was only one left-- unbeknownst to her, Stevonnie had poofed the other-- but one was enough. It grabbed her by her two left arms and flung her across the room. She collapsed against a wall in a heap.

She looked over at the Mutant, which had once again stopped in its tracks, then back at Stevonnie. The human/Gem fusion was now off their feet, lunging at her, their sword raised.

And they could do nothing to stop them.

A thought, a  _ plea _ , raced through their mind. A plea from Lapis to Peridot.  _ Don’t let him hurt them. Don’t let him hurt Steven and Connie.  _

Short one working arm, dizzy as stars, and having trouble getting to her feet. Bad odds. She had to think of something, think think  _ think _ \--

_ That’s it. _

Peridot had helped Bismuth gather some additional material components for the new sword. She had needed to look hard for the gemstone Bismuth wanted for the blade.There were only two pezzottaite deposits in the world; one had been exhausted, the other was very small. But Peridot had managed to secure a chunk of the pink stone nonetheless.

Homeworld metal wasn’t exactly cooperative when it came to ferrokinesis. It was too complex in its structure to get a bead on, as Peridot had learned when she had tried to grab ahold of Bismuth’s armor during their battle with White Diamond.

An Earth gemstone, though? That she could do.

Turquoise got ahold of Stevonnie’s sword and levitated it out of their hand, floating it back to her. She embedded the blade in the floor and used it to pick herself up off the ground. With unsteady hands, she drew it at her friend.

_ No point in banter _ , she thought, charging forward. It was Connie’s sword versus Steven’s shield in a flurry of jabs and swings. For every attempted strike by Turquoise, Stevonnie had a block and a quick jab of the shield’s side. They traded blows, back and forth, back and forth, barely shifting from their positions.

Turquoise shifted her feet, strafing to their side, and ducked under a shield bash. She had the angle lined up, this would work. She took a downward swing and waited for Stevonnie’s block, which came right on time.

“Now!”

Her form lost definition, reverting to a brilliant figure of light, and then into two. Peridot scrambled away from Stevonnie, skittering back across the ground, while Lapis summoned her water wings and took flight over them, going straight for Ronaldo.

She landed, looming over him. Her wings transformed into fists. She was  _ fuming _ . He had no right to do what he did,  _ no right! _ She reached down, wrapping one fist around the man’s body and the other around his head. She gave the latter a pull, ripping the strange headset off of him hard. She crushed it in her hand, causing the device to release a sputter of sparks.

Ronaldo’s unfocused eyes went wide in surprise. “I-- what are you--”

Lapis snarled and, with her water fist,  _ squeezed _ him tightly. He had to pay. “You  _ pathetic, spineless _ human!” she cried. “I have seen  _ more than enough _ bad Fusion. Like you wouldn’t believe. But them?” she pointed to Steven and Connie, who had unfused and were holding each other tightly. “They still have a future together. And you do  _ not _ interfere with that--”

“ _ Lapis!” _

She turned at the sound of Peridot coming towards her. Wordlessly, the green Gem put her hand on Lapis’. “I don’t think he knew what he was doing.”

Ronaldo furiously shook his head. “She’s right! I’d-- I’d never hurt Steven or any of you guys, I was just--”

“It doesn’t  _ matter! _ You hurt their stability! Could’ve hurt  _ ours! _ I…”

She turned to Steven and Connie. Connie looked confused, dazed-- she had been the one fighting through the control. Steven, though, just looked absolutely broken, tears running freely.

“...I won’t let anyone make another Malachite.”

She disintegrated the fist, dropping Ronaldo to the ground with a thud. He scrambled to his feet and backed away from Lapis cautiously.

She shot him a glare. “We will talk  _ later. _ Go,” she snarled.

Lapis and Peridot walked to Steven and Connie. Steven was muttering things through his tears; about his Gem, how he  _ needed _ his Gem. Connie was trying to calm him down, to no avail. The two Gems just pulled them both into a hug, let him ride it out.

Through the whole hug, Connie held onto her sword for dear life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus concludes arc two. Hope y'all liked it. This chapter was a heavy one for me, specifically because of Steven's reaction to the whole situation; if it wasn't clear here just why he freaked out so hard, it will be come the ending of the next chapter.  
> Next chapter: cooldown chapter time. The gang goes home, cools down, and figures out what's up with that Gem control helmet. There's more Jasper in the next one, too.


	10. Triptych

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three very important conversations.

As she strolled down the street, Pearl couldn’t help but feel bad for her etiquette a few minutes before. She had been tidying up the kitchen while Steven and Turquoise watched television when she had gotten an unexpected call, from Greg of all people. 

When she picked up, she was immediately hit by a flurry of pounding, booming noises, which Greg noticeably had to struggle to speak over. “I think someone needs your help, Pearl,” he had said. “Real badly.”

He hadn’t given more information when pressed, so there she was, dropping everything to go to the car wash and hitting herself for how she had ended the call. She’d corrected Greg-- “ _ very _ badly would have sufficed”-- before hanging up and heading over. It was just rude, she thought. Very rude.

As she approached the car wash, she heard the sound again, that tinny boom. Now that she was hearing it fully, she immediately understood what it was: the sound of drums, played loud. She frowned and furrowed her brow; what was this about? Did Greg want to start a band again?

She saw the elder Universe pacing anxiously, wringing his hands as he walked across the asphalt. Okay, so it wasn’t Greg. She strolled up to him and cleared her throat. “I’m here. Who is it that… ‘needs my help,’ exactly?”

Greg let out a sigh of relief and turned to face her. On closer inspection, she thought, it wasn’t a sigh of relief, so much as a sigh of  _ exasperation _ . Something-- some _ one _ \-- had Greg Universe  _ frustrated _ . She had only met three people capable of doing that, one of whom was herself and another of whom was no longer alive. Maybe this was more serious than she was expecting.

“Oh,  _ thank _ you for coming,” he said, his voice raising an octave. “It’s Jasper,” he continued, lowering his voice and bringing a hand to the side of his mouth. “She’s been acting weird. Like, weird by Jasper standards. She hasn’t stop practicing the percussion for my old songs for more than a  _ whole day _ .” He went a shade paler. “And it’s made me realize the drumming in Comet isn’t very good.”

“You’re right, that isn’t good,” she paused, realizing what she’d just said. “Jasper, I mean! I’m sure-- I mean, I  _ know _ that your old music is passable, Greg.” 

Greg let out a nervous chuckle; she had made him relax a little, that was good, she thought. “Uh, thanks. Anyway, since you’ve kinda been her supervisor since she decided to stay on Earth, I think you should handle this.”

“Of course.” She stepped past him and headed for the wash. She quickly turned around. “I’m sorry for correcting you.”

The clang of sticks on cymbals became almost overpowering as she entered the It’s a Wash’s alleged lobby.  The only thing keeping it recognizable as a Mr. Universe song was the song itself the orange Gem was playing in the background. Her drumming was totally unlike the work in the song; it sounded like it would be more at home as-- what was that silly human trend from a few decades ago? Hair metal? Like that. It sounded like that.

Jasper was firmly concentrated on hitting her drum kit as hard as possible. Pearl couldn’t help but admire the accuracy of her work, even if it was, she thought  _ much _ louder than necessary. Jasper had the mind of a brilliant tactician, and it showed in everything she did. Living with the rest of the Crystal Gems for such a long time made Pearl appreciate it, perhaps more than she should have.

“Jasper--”

_ “But the moment that I hit the stage thousands of voices are calling my name--” _

_ “Jasper!” _

The large Gem jumped out of her seat and threw her drumsticks to the floor. Pearl had to stifle a laugh-- she was standing at attention, always the soldier.

“Let’s take a walk,” Pearl said.

* * *

 

Turquoise had never seen Steven acting as… noncommittal as he was acting that day for herself. Sure, Peridot and Lapis had seen the rare Introspective Steven Look a couple times each, but  _ she _ hadn’t. Even while Crying Breakfast Friends’ epic-length season (or was it series?) finale played, Steven remained stoic.

It was, Turquoise thought, the scariest thing she had ever seen.

She couldn’t see him like this. Steven was the kindest, most understanding person she knew, and that also came with him being more than willing to involve himself in others’ problems. If one of his friends was unhappy, he acted like it was his duty to make them happy. And she needed to follow that example.

The fusion nudged his shoulder with her secondary arm and gave him a light boop on the nose with her primary. “Whatever it is, you can talk about it if you want.”

Steven blinked a couple times. “Whatever what is?” he asked, his expression blank.

“Yeah, that’s what I asked.” She smirked.

There were a few moments of tense silence. Steven’s face strained, his brow furrowed, as he seemingly thought through whatever it was he wanted to say. Finally, those moments passed, and he picked up the remote to mute the TV.

“A couple days ago, in the fight,” he began, “when Ronaldo… mind controlled Stevonnie, it felt like he was… doing it through me. And when he did it, it made Stevonnie…  _ unbalanced _ . Like…” he turned to look Turquoise in the eyes, specifically her lower pair. “Like Malachite.”

Turquoise couldn’t help but shudder. “He made you and Connie’s fusion unhealthy for a minute, but it wasn’t your fault. There was no way you--”

“Not like that,” Steven said, his tone suddenly stern. “It was like he made… made  _ my _ fusion unhealthy.” He paused, as if waiting for Turquoise to respond, but the tall fusion just looked at him quizzically. “Back on Homeworld, when we confronted White Diamond, she… took my Gem out of me. Out of my body. And then… And then the Gem turned into  _ someone else. _ It was like I was two people at once, and the me that came from my Gem… He was… He couldn’t  _ feel _ anything, Turquoise!” Tears were welling up in his eyes. “And-- and-- and when I got mind-controlled or whatever, it felt like that me, the one that couldn’t feel, had taken over.

He slumped off of his bed, splaying his legs across the floor and closing his eyes to stifle the tears. “I know I’m not my mom. I know that I love myself. That’s-- those aren’t questions anymore. I know who I am… but I still don’t know  _ what _ I am.”

With a swipe of her hand, Turquoise dematerialized her goggles. She wanted to look at Steven directly. “I’m-- I’m so sorry that happened to you, Steven. I had no idea.”

Steven let out a dry laugh. “Don’t be. I’ve only ever talked to Connie about it, really.”

Turquoise pulled him into a hug, enveloping him in all four arms. “I can tell you what you are, though. You’re Steven Quartz Universe. I don’t think you’re a fusion, but if you are, you’re an incredible experience. You went from a kid from Beach City to the savior of an entire alien race in just a couple years. And without you, I’m definitely sure I wouldn’t be here.

“You’re my favorite superhero, Steven.”

Steven returned the hug, his sobs turning into laughter. They held each other close for a minute more before Turquoise let go. “Feeling any better?”

“I think so. Or I think I will be.”

He looked back at the TV and his eyes lit up. Turquoise smiled faintly-- there was that light that had been missing. He frantically grabbed for the remote and hit unmute, his attention once again drawn to the show.

“Yay, new outfits!”

* * *

 

Jasper stared down at her tall cup of black coffee while Pearl, seated across from her, took tiny sips of her tea. The thin Gem had remained entirely silent as they had walked to the boardwalk and into the cafe, and Jasper was beginning to grow concerned. She knew that she had been on thin ice with pretty much everyone except Amethyst from the moment she had decided not to go home with the Diamonds, so it was totally not out of the question for the Crystal Gems to have made the executive decision to ditch her. Perhaps that was what this was about-- Pearl would tell her to leave and she’d be left wandering the world, an exile like Hessonite. 

She fidgeted with her cup, squeezing it just a little too hard. “Pearl, I’m--”

“So, what genres of music have you been enjoying?”

That sealed it. If Jasper had been nervous before, she was now just flabbergasted. Pearl had that effect on her, she realized-- the news that  _ she _ was formerly the diminutive right hand of Pink Diamond had almost made her do more of a double-take than Amethyst’s tactless explanation that Pink, Rose Quartz, and Steven were actually the same Gem. Out of all the Crystal Gems, Pearl was the one she could get the least of a bead on… and, if she was being honest with herself, she really admired that.

“Um.” She scratched at the cyan splotch on her arm, a nervous habit. “I think rock is okay, but I-- I’ve been enjoying metal a lot. It’s a little like rock, but it’s heavy and loud and-- yeah.”

What was she  _ doing _ ? What was  _ Pearl _ doing?

Pearl smiled and took a final sip of tea. “That’s nice. I’ve always been a fan of classical, but the other Pearls have listened to some metal and tell me it’s good.”

“It is!” Jasper got a bit more upbeat; Pearl was just being friendly after all. “Metal is a really good outlet for emotion, I think. There’s a lot of really good songs that capture ideas of rejection and disenfranchisement and--”

She stopped. There it was, the thing that Pearl had wanted out of this conversation. Treat it like a regular thing, then blow it out of proportion--  _ classic _ Crystal Gem. “--oh,” she said, her face dropping. “ _ That _ ’s what this is about.”

“No no, go on!” Pearl explained, growing more nervous.

Jasper groaned. Okay, so she was  _ maybe _ feeling a lot of emotions because of Turquoise’s appearance. The idea that Lapis Lazuli was fusing with anyone, let alone Peridot,  _ maybe _ struck her as intensely wrong. But that was her business! What right did Pearl have to know about how  _ she _ felt about such a serious issue? It wasn’t like they were a team or anything…

She internally hit herself. They weren’t a team, but she was  _ trying _ to be. And Amethyst and Steven  _ had _ reminded her of how important openness was. “Guhhh,  _ fine. _ But can we talk about it somewhere that  _ isn’t _ full of humans?”

Pearl agreed, and the two went off to an unpopulated area of the boardwalk. With the sun just beginning to set, the sky turning a shade of brilliant orange, they sat on the edge of the dock, dangling their feet near the water.

Jasper looked out at the water and took a breath. “We fought each other a few times in the War, you know. You and I, I mean.”

Pearl raised an eyebrow, confused. “You’ll have to be more specific. I fought… a  _ lot _ of Quartz soldiers back then.”

“Pyrite’s Assault. A few thousand years ago. Across the ocean, I think.”

“Oh.” Pearl’s eyes went wide. “Oh!” She was trying to hold in a laugh, struggling to get words out. “You were the one who-- who I--”

“Yeah, I nearly cracked you. Except right before I could, you leaned forward and poked my eye out… with your  _ nose. _ ” Pearl erupted in a fit of giggles. “I was so humiliated that I stayed poofed for  _ weeks! _ ”

Pearl scoffed. “You think  _ that’s _ humiliating? What about--” she snapped her fingers a couple times, trying to recall, “that time you had those Peridots engineer those explosive Robonoids that looked like lost Pebbles? ‘Oh, Rose, they look so helpless…’ No wonder I never had a chance with her.”

“The Siege of Beta! You and that Ruby stuffed me in a kindergarten hole that was too small for me. They had to  _ cut _ me out of that thing!”

Pearl and Jasper both fell into laughter. Pearl leaned her head against Jasper’s arm for a moment, wrapping her own slender arms around it, before she realized what she was doing and pulled away, her laughter turning nervous.

Jasper stopped and her face fell. “I think-- I’m not sure, but I think-- I may have been at the battle where Lapis got cracked. Where she got trapped in that mirror. I think about it a lot. How I probably could’ve saved her.” She looked down at the water, reflecting the orange of the sunset. “If I  _ was _ there, that’d make it the first of many times I hurt her.”

“Even if you were there,” Pearl began, “it wouldn’t change how she feels about you. It may not be exactly what you need to hear, but I think it’s the truth. Sometimes… Sometimes you think you and someone else are a good fit, but you aren’t. And when they find someone they  _ are _ a good fit with, you just have to let her-- let  _ them _ be happy.” She joined the ex-soldier in staring down at the ocean. “You have no reason to fight for them. And if you hurt them, too, you owe it to them to respect their wishes. Because if you don’t, even if you think you’re doing it for them, you’re still just doing it for you. Believe me, I know.”

At that point, Jasper shifted through emotions fast. Anger, frustration, longing, sadness, and, finally, resignation. “I’m glad she’s happy. Her and Peridot. They--” she chuckled, “I actually thought they’d be a good couple, when we were together on the ship. They’ve got complimentary colors, even!” Pearl giggled lightly. “I know I hurt her. And Peridot. But I’d like to, I don’t know, talk to them. Or at least occupy the same room as them without it feeling terrible.”

“I’m sure that’ll happen eventually,” Pearl replied. “But healing takes time. Whether they do it as Peridot and Lapis or as Turquoise, they’ll be doing it on their terms. And you have to accept that.”

All Jasper did to reply was nod silently. She drew her knees up to her chest and held an arm around them, now staring out at the sky.

Pearl had a thought, but she hesitated to act on it. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Wasn’t sure how Jasper would take it. But it was worth a try.

She stood up and held out a hand. “Would you like to dance?”

Jasper looked up at her, uncertainty in her eyes. When she made eye contact with Pearl, though, those feelings dissipated. “Sure.”

The dance was slow, delicate. Jasper was, by Pearl’s words, a pretty good dancer, her skills well-honed in the battlefield of Homeworld social gatherings, where ballroom dancing was almost required. She was, despite her size, graceful; her feet moved in time with the slimmer Gems, and she was coordinated enough to twirl. Finally, the dance culminated in a dip, which Pearl took the initiative on. She did it effortlessly; how she was able to hold Jasper was beyond her.

Light entered their gems, moving across their lattices at a speed not even a Diamond could fully comprehend.

The light, already refracted, refracted once again. Pale white and orange intermingled, congealed, their rays bending through each other’s gems, perfect imperfections. Slowly, those lines of light that were once two came together, forming a singular, solid form.

This is how a fusion is born. A conscious--

Jasper went flying and landed a few feet away from Pearl with a thud, her blob of orange light returning to its usual shape. Shaking, she backed away, her lower lip quivering.

Pearl held out a hand, trying to calm her down. When that didn’t work, she ran towards the bigger Gem, placing her hands on her trembling shoulders.

“I-- we-- did we--,” she stammered.

“I-- I think so. I think we just… started to fuse.”

Jasper stood up, drawing shaky breathes as she tried to calm herself and come to her senses.

Pearl took a couple of paces back, becoming apologetic. “I’m sorry, Jasper. I didn’t know you… felt the same way. I shouldn’t have asked you to dance, it was a-- a bad idea. I’ll just… stop now.”

Jasper placed her large, clawed hand on Pearl’s shoulder. “Hey, at least you know when to stop.” She let out a dark laugh. “I’d… like to try it again. Just not right now.”

Pearl hesitated before wrapping her arms around Jasper’s arm as she had done earlier. “That’s perfectly fine.”

* * *

 

“Ma’am? She’s here.”

“Excellent, Iolite,” said Ms. Knight, putting the finishing touches on the materials on her desk. “I should be ready now. Send her in.”

A moment later, the door to her office opened, and a dark figure stepped into the room. As she did, it almost seemed like the room, its windows already curtained, grew that much dimmer. Like light had been sucked out of it. 

“Present the offering,” the person said.

Ms. Knight wasn’t used to kneeling, but she’d do it if the situation called for it. She picked up the pile of shattered Gem shards off of the desk and cupped them in her hands before bending down on one knee. “I present these Gems so that they might return to the primordial nothing. I only hope that one day such a privilege will be afforded to me.”

The slender Gem focused her singular, milky white eye on the shards and released a beam of blinding white energy. It enveloped the Gems. Ms. Knight had heard stories of “souls screaming” when sacrifices such as these were made, but she had put little faith in those tales; she believed them now. 

“The offering is accepted,” said the Gem. “State your request.”

Ms. Knight got back on her feet and composed herself. She hadn’t expected that to be so… harrowing. Finally, she cleared her throat.

“Black Star Diopside, I believe you can help me perfect my plans. Tell me… Have you ever been offered a fusion?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand we're back! Sorry for last week's hiatus-- I just could not commit to this chapter AND write for Lapidot Week at the same time. Hopefully, having read it, you understand why that is.  
> You thought this was JUST Lapidot? You thought WRONG. Welcome to Jaspearl hell, baby. Obviously, Lapis, Peridot, and Turquoise will be taking precedence, but the romantic blunder of everyone's favorite Gem War veterans will definitely be the secondary relationship of the rest of the fic. I may make it poly and bring in Mystery Girl/Sheena, too, but I'm not sure yet.  
> Next week: the third full story arc properly begins, and it's a DOOZY. What's Black Star Diopside got in store for our heroine(s)? We shall see.  
> (Oh, and one final comment: this chapter officially brings the fic over 10k words. Remember when I said I'd keep chapters below 500 words? lol)


	11. Night Terrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a new threat puts plans into motion, the Crystal Gems get a rude awakening.

The tall, mono-eyed Gem strolled down the makeshift hallway she had made just hours earlier. Around her, the walls were still crystalizing, a side effect of the aggressive, guerilla terraforming she was conducting mere feet underneath Empire City. Sparkling, murky white rocks popped in and out of existence, spiking out of the rock and solidifying into clear, polygonal walls. 

She was not worried about humans coming across her new hideaway-- she simply did not care. What were they going to do? The moment a human entered-- like the one who had almost stepped into the perimeter armed with nothing but recording equipment just days ago-- the natural response of the environment would be ejection or, she hoped, assimilation. There was, after all, no light down here, so the walls would need all the nutrients they could get.

Black Star Diopside came to a wall and stopped. She leveled her eye with its center point, and the crystals slid out of her way. She almost wanted to smile; she could feel their fear. 

In the cube-shaped room before her was a clear wall, showing her the cell’s newest occupant: a Lapis Lazuli, weakly slumped against the wall.

Black Star cleared her throat and spoke, her voice like rusty metal scraping against ice. “Begin observation.”

* * *

 

Just days earlier, in the Barn, Peridot woke in the dead of night with a start. The dream-- the  _ nightmare _ she’d just had was hazy, near-impossible to recall, but she remembered what was important. She remembered half-formed faces, illuminated in blinding light. And the screams, oh, she  _ definitely _ remembered the screams. They didn’t sound like language, just hurt and pain, like distortion in a corrupted video file. 

She bolted upright in her sleeping bag and tried to calm herself down. Just a nightmare, no big deal. She could just lay back down, snuggle up to Lapis, and--

_ Wait.  _ She looked down, noticing the space next to her was unoccupied.  _ Where’s Lapis? _

Pumpkin was still at the foot of their makeshift bed. There was concern on the living gourd’s face; her eyes were darting from Peridot to the area below the Barn’s upper balcony, where Peridot could hear the creaking of floorboards.

She peered down to where Pumpkin was looking and, sure enough, there she was. Lapis was pacing anxiously, running a hand through her hair, which was a tangled mess. Even from this distance, Peridot could also see the heavy bags under her eyes. Had she slept at all?

“...Lapis?” She called down. In response, the blue Gem let out a quiet gasp and turned to look up, eyes wide. Peridot wanted to wince-- it had been a long time since she’d seen Lapis that…  _ haunted. _

They just stared at each other for a moment before Lapis broke the silence. “Did… Did you hear it, too?”

Peridot could only nod as she jumped out of bed and hurried down from the balcony, quickly embracing her love before heading off to the still-unsorted mound of possessions crammed into one of the Barn’s corners. 

Hesitantly, Lapis approached her as she began to rummage. “What, uh, are you looking for, exactly?” she asked, concerned.

But Peridot was seemingly absorbed in finding whatever it was. “C’mon, c’mon, I knew I kept it-- ah!” she turned to face Lapis, triumphantly levitating a datapad in the air above her hands. 

Lapis let out a nervous chuckle. “Peri, if you’re about to give me some kind of check-up, I am going to scream. I don’t care how much I love you, I will do it. Pumpkin will get scared and dive into the water tank again, and this time it  _ will _ be your fault.”

Peridot, again, wasn’t really listening. She tapped away on the datapad, pulling up all manner of charts and statistics, all of them updating in real time. She quickly held the screen in front of Lapis and pointed at it insistently. “Someone’s hurting it!” She said. 

“Slow  _ down,  _ hon,” Lapis said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Who’s getting hurt?” 

“I… I don’t think I have the time to explain. Just… trust me on this. First, we need to fuse. We need Turquoise for this. Then, we’ve gotta get to the Temple.”

* * *

 

Turquoise materialized in the flash of the Temple’s warp pad to utter chaos. Garnet was seated at the kitchen and crying, from all three eyes; Pearl was curled in a fetal position and mumbling, Jasper and Bismuth trying to console her; and between them, Steven was desperately trying to help them all. Amethyst, meanwhile, was… Asleep on the couch.

Steven looked up at Turquoise and ran towards her. “Turquoise!” He looked her up and down. “You… look as bad as the rest of us.”

She took in the disorder around the room. “Stars, it’s as bad as I thought. It broadcast its distress to  _ all _ of us.”

“Is it… I mean, do you think it’s--”

“Yeah, I do.

“It’s the Cluster. And I think someone just ripped a piece off of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Welcome to Arc Three-- this one's gonna be a doozy. Sorry I took so long with this, Summer ended up being two months of writer's block. I'm back in the saddle now, though, so expect the next chapter to be out next week! As usual, drop me a line on Tumblr (@theregoesjodariel) if you wanna talk shop.


End file.
